Kerri Strug
Kerri Strug was born on November 19, 1977 in Tuscon, Arizona. Her older siblings, Lisa and Kevin, did gymnastics and Strug begged her parents to enroll her in classes at the age of four. By the age of six, she was doing private lessons with Jim Gault, a gymnastics coach at the University of Arizona. In 1991, at the age of thirteen, Strug decided to move to Houston to train with Bela and Marta Karolyi. In 1992, at the age of fourteen, she won a team bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics, at which she was the youngest member of the team. Bela Karolyi retired after the 1992 Olympics, so Strug moved to Oklahoma to train under Steve Nunno at Dynamo Gymnastics. In 1994, Strug was performing a compulsory bar routine when she lost control and fell. The injury turned out to be a badly pulled back muscle, but she recovered in time for the 1994 World Championships. In 1995, Strug made the move to Colorado to train under Tom and Lori Forster at Colorado Aerials. She trained with the Forsters until December of 1995 when Bela Karolyi came out of retirement. She then moved back to Houston to prepare for the Olympics. At the 1996 Olympics, Strug is most prominently known for performing her second vault on an injured ankle and for subsequently being carried to the team podium by her coach, Bela Karolyi.
After the Olympics, Strug enrolled at UCLA and became the gymnastics team manager. She later transferred to Stanford University where she earned a Master's Degree in Sociology. After graduation, Strug worked as an elementary teacher in the San Jose area before moving to Washington D.C. in 2003. In 2010, she married attorney Robert Fischer and in 2012, they welcomed their first son, Tyler. Strug is also an active marathon runner, having run marathons in Boston, New York, Houston, and Chicago.
After the Olympics, Strug enrolled at UCLA and became the gymnastics team manager. She later transferred to Stanford University where she earned a Master's Degree in Sociology. After graduation, Strug worked as an elementary teacher in the San Jose area before moving to Washington D.C. in 2003. In 2010, she married attorney Robert Fischer and in 2012, they welcomed their first son, Tyler. Strug is also an active marathon runner, having run marathons in Boston, New York, Houston, and Chicago.